An Innovative Approach to Creating a Simulator for X-ray and Magnetic Resonance Studies "RadiuM-Sim"

This article presents a description of the simulator of X-ray and magnetic resonance studies "RadiuM-SIM".The " RadiuM-SIM" simulator allows expanding the range of domestic educational products necessary for conducting an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) during the primary specialized accreditation of specialists in the specialty "Radiology".

Primary pituitary gland abscess in a 13-year-old girl. A clinical case description

A primary abscess in the region of the Sella turcica is a rare neurosurgical pathology especially in the pediatric population. This pathology has no specific symptoms and may have an atypical presentation. It has no specific radiological features making diagnosis very difficult. In this article, we report on a 13-year-old girl with a confirmed primary pituitary abscess. Clinical and instrumental investigations as well as hormonal profile indicated a lesion of the Rathkes pouch- like a craniopharyngioma and to a lesser extent, a pituitary adenoma. In this case, laboratory and Magnetic resonance studies did not show any features of systemic or local acute inflammatory response respectively. The child underwent a surgery, during which the diagnosis was made — primary abscess of the pituitary gland.

Using Isopropanol as a Capping Agent in the Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Kraft Lignin in Near-Critical Water

In this study, Kraft lignin was depolymerised by hydrothermal liquefaction in near-critical water (290–335 °C, 250 bar) using Na2CO3 as an alkaline catalyst. Isopropanol was used as a co-solvent with the objective of investigating its capping effect and capability of reducing char formation. The resulting product, which was a mixture of an aqueous liquid, containing water-soluble organic compounds, and char, had a lower sulphur content than the Kraft lignin. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the organic precipitates of the aqueous phase and the char indicated that the major lignin bonds were broken. The high molar masses of the char and the water-soluble organics, nevertheless, indicate extensive repolymerisation of the organic constituents once they have been depolymerised from the lignin. With increasing temperature, the yield of char increased, although its molar mass decreased. The addition of isopropanol increased the yield of the water-soluble organic products and decreased the yield of the char as well as the molar masses of the products, which is indicative of a capping effect.